Atlas Copco has announced that two of its Portable Energy products, the 8 Series range of portable compressors and the HiLight H5+ LED light tower, have been recognised in the prestigious Red Dot Design Awards for 2017.

Peter Lauwers, President of Atlas Copco’s Portable Energy division, said: “We’re delighted to have once again achieved this renowned global prize for outstanding design. The 8 Series and HiLight H5+ are in-house designed products that we are very proud of. When designing new products, we focus on the strategic triangle of performance benefits for the customer, efficiency, in terms of both fuel and service needs, along with environmental benefits; both these products excel in all three categories.”

The 8 Series portable compressor range has set new standards across a number of design categories, from size and weight to efficiency and performance. This includes a new version of Atlas Copco’s tough and aesthetically pleasing HardHat® canopy, building upon the Red Dot Design Award the HardHat first received in 2006. Further improvements include a smaller size, with the 8 Series up to 15 per cent smaller than comparable models and consuming up to 12 per cent less fuel.

The light weight of the 8 Series is another key design feature, with each portable compressor weighing less than 750 kg. This makes it possible to tow them behind a normal passenger car without a special driving license being required, and has the added benefit of not incurring extra transportation costs and CO2 emissions. The compact and lightweight design of the 8 Series is even more remarkable considering it can be equipped with a built-in generator and still be below 750 kg. The range also helps customers significantly reduce maintenance times, as each compressor takes less than an hour to service. Service is only required, on average, once every two years and no special tools or training are needed.

Atlas Copco’s second Red Dot Design Award of 2017 was bestowed upon the HiLight H5+ LED light tower. Design features include directional optic lenses that maximise practical light coverage while minimising dark spots. The HiLight H5+ was designed to provide optimum efficiency, which is illustrated by the fact that just a single light tower can illuminate an area of up to 5,000 m2; providing an average brightness of 20 lux. Additionally, the HiLight H5+ LED light tower can offer a run time between refuelling of 260 hours and consume less than 0.5 litres of fuel per hour.

To ensure further operational savings, Atlas Copco included dedicated power packs within the HiLight H5+ to optimise the light tower’s power output, and improve efficiency by protecting against under-loading of the engine. As a result, the lifetime of the power pack module was improved. The LED lamps were also designed for both portability and performance. The heavy-duty floodlights benefit from high ingress protection (IP) and impact protection (IK) ratings. As an additional benefit, the LED lamps were designed to offer higher durability without any deterioration in lux level.

Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award said: “The Red Dot winners are pursuing the right design strategy. They have recognised that good design and economic success go hand in hand. The award by the critical Red Dot jury documents their high design quality and is indicative of their successful design policy.”

The award appraises the best products of the year based on submissions from manufacturers and designers around the world.This year, entries were received from 54 countries, with each individually assessed by an independent and international jury of experts. The selection criteria were based on many factors, including innovation, formal quality, functionality and ecological compatibility.

The official Red Dot Gala will take place in Aalto-Theatre in Essen (Germany) on 3rd July. During the ceremony, winners will be presented with the Red Dot Trophy on stage in the presence of around 1,200 guests from all over the world, including design stars, media representatives, business experts, and political figures.